Hurricane Ian is Crossing Cuba and Heads Towards Florida

Early Tuesday morning, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Cuba with winds of about 125 miles per hour. Its strength is expected to increase as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico, threatening Florida in the United States with storm surge, wind, rain, and tornadoes.

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According to a report from the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), this category 3 hurricane had significant impacts on western Cuba with winds and storm surge.

"Better not to mention what we experienced this morning. We are alive, although I thought the door would open and Ian would take us with him,” said a woman from Pinar del Rio, as reported by Lysandra Andres teleSUR correspondent in Cuba.

“Some of my neighbors are homeless, tanks were blown away with the wind, and water pipes broke. My house is flooded by the rain that came in under the door along with the leaves of the thousand-year-old ceiba tree,” she added.

Ian's eye was located about 10 miles northeast of Pinar del Rio City and about 115 miles south-southwest of the Dry Tortugas in Florida. Ian is the fourth hurricane so far this year.

Starting Tuesday night, Ian is expected to turn to the north-northeast and slow down. Meanwhile, he is hurtling across western Cuba at almost 12 miles per hour. Hurricane force winds extend out to 35 miles from its center and tropical storm force winds extend out to 115 miles. On Wednesday, Ian will approach the west coast of Florida. Most likely, it will become a "dangerous major hurricane" and make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.

The NHC issued advisories and watches for a sector of central Florida and another sector on the southeastern coast of the state, where Ian could produce dangerous storm surge and flooding.